Accent

An Interdisciplinary Approach

Outlining the main characteristics of musical accents requires an interdisciplinary approach, which takes into consideration the achievements of music theory, linguistics, critical theory, and performance studies. In fact, linguists observe that the alternation of accented and unaccented elements also characterizes verbal language. Both musical messages and utterances are characterized by changes of pitch height and intensity levels. However, due to the correlation between the pitch contour of the speech and the gross respiratory energy, in verbal language higher pitches coincide with higher intensity levels; instead, in instrumental music high pitch notes are not always accented.

Critical theory may also be applied to music pieces. Assuming a listener-oriented viewpoint, some researchers point out that accents are the means with which listeners punctuate their experience of music, dividing a piece into time spans that measure the music's flow. Other scholars focus attention primarily on the composer or the performer, distinguishing between accents written in the score by the former, called immanent accents, and accents added by the latter in his or her performance, thus called performed accents. In any case, in structuring their performance, interpreters analyze the music work in order to recognize the immanent accents and give them appropriate emphasis.

Performance studies scholars claim that, in choosing the most appropriate performance of an accent, skillful performers shall find a balance between different elements. For instance, in piano [Page 2]music performed accents may involve changes in dynamics, timing, pedaling, or articulation. Usually the performer selects different combinations of these means, taking into consideration both objective and subjective elements. Among the objective elements are the historical period, style, and genre of the specific piece; the acoustic characteristics of the concert hall; the sound of the specific instrument; and the cultural context in which the performance takes place. Among the subjective elements are the performer's personal taste, his or her technical skills, and the relevance he or she ascribes to a particular point in the composition.

On other instruments, such as organs and harpsichords, where strong changes in dynamics cannot be realized, performers can choose the amplitude and duration of the accents they wish to put on particular notes or chords, combining changes in timing, articulation, manuals, and registers, or adding a short pause before the climax.

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